Lifetime's recipe for daytime

5:00 AM PDT 8/26/2008
by
Kimberly Nordyke
,
AP

Shows about cooking, clairvoyance and copious companionship on tap

Lifetime is launching its first slate of original unscripted programming for daytime, greenlighting a cooking show as well as two weeklong special programs, one centered on weight loss and the other featuring medium/clairvoyant Lisa Williams making her network return.

"Mom's Cooking" has been given a 20-episode order, with 10 episodes to be shot in New York and 10 in Atlanta. The half-hour series, which will air Monday- Friday starting in December, features mothers teaching their daughters how to cook their favorite childhood recipe. "Cooking," hosted by Joe Corsano, is produced by Boy Wonder and executive produced by Michael Morrissey.

Five half-hour episodes have been ordered for the tentatively titled "Lisa Williams," premiering Oct. 27, and the untitled "Fat Friends" project, debuting in January. Both will air over five consecutive weekdays.

"Williams" is a reformatted version of the Lifetime series "Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead." Each episode will feature Williams doing live one-on-one readings in a studio and in impromptu meetings with people she is drawn to on the street. Roy Bank, president of television at Merv Griffin Entertainment, will oversee on behalf of the company, with "Life Among the Dead's" Yann Debonne returning as exec producer.

In the "Fat Friends" docu-series, five friends in Southern California will attempt to lose weight together in the hopes of getting fit for one's wedding. Tara Sandler, Jennifer Davidson, Scott Templeton and Kris Curry exec produce the Pie Town-produced series, with Annie Price serving as co-exec producer and showrunner.

Lifetime has begun making an effort to add original programming during the day, when it airs mostly off-net sitcoms. (partialdiff)